This list is going to be the anti-list to those “hot toys” out there. Nothing. I repeat. Nothing on those lists is being marketed to inspire creativity and open-ended exploration. Instead, these toys are specifically designed for a cheap thrill that your kids will soon tire of and then move on to the next craze. So… turn off the commercials, hide the catalogs, and think about ways to inspire your little ones to think and grow in creative ways.

We had a nor’easter in town this Thursday, plus a full moon, and being stuck inside, by late afternoon, we needed a creative activity. I’d seen a cool activity using Playdoh, spaghetti, and pasta and decided to modify it for my older kids as well. I started out using Playdoh to stabilize vertical pieces of…

This evening we took our kids to an indoor light show. It’s a huge event with a large expo area divided into smaller “rooms” and corridors to pass through. The first time we walked through was great – taking in the wonder of the displays, finding those big focal point objects and expressing our delight…

This innovation, this ability to think outside the box, is a huge asset that will serve him well later in life — if we can figure out how to navigate these early years in a way that celebrates and channels his creative impulses.